China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Monday in the southern island province of Hainan, sending a group of internet satellites into space.
The rocket lifted off at 15:48 from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site. The payloads, the 19th group of low-orbit internet satellites carrying multiple core technologies, entered into preset orbit successfully.
The satellite group launched on Monday was developed by GalaxySpace, which is a commercial firm based in Beijing and one of several Chinese aerospace firms to contribute to the construction of Starlink-style satellite networks over recent years. It was the second time the company has undertaken such space infrastructure development.
"We have achieved a fully digitalized workflow for the first time. By targeting the specific needs of mass production, we have gone through automated testing, intelligent assembly and inspection, and optimized launch site processes, which significantly improved overall efficiency," said Cheng Ming, head of the GalaxySpace's smart satellite factory.
The Long March-12 rocket used in this mission is China's first 4-meter single-core launch vehicle. It has a payload capacity of no less than 12 tons to low-Earth orbit and no less than 6 tons to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket can support both single and multiple satellite launches to different orbits.
China launches new internet satellite group in Hainan
China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
